Effective Nov. 23, 2009, BCBSIL will begin managing the Special Beginnings^®'* maternity program. The program, previously named Healthy Expectations^®, has been managed by independent contractor, Alere. To avoid any disruptions in continuity of care, Alere representatives will continue to service current participants until they have completed the program. BCBSIL will service all new program enrollees as of November 23.

Special Beginnings is available to all BCBSIL PPO members who are enrolled in Blue Care Connection^®, our health care management program that gives members online access to their health information. It provides expectant BCBSIL members with additional support and education, pregnancy risk factor identification and ongoing communication/monitoring throughout their pregnancy and postpartum care.

We believe this change will result in better service to our members and offer an improved picture of the member's health. Our trained staff will be able to provide the following:

• Post-partum screening for all participants and follow-up care for positive post-partum depression screens
• Case management services for high-risk pregnancies
• Referral to condition management programs as necessary
• Co-management opportunities for lifestyle management issues
• Early case management identification and intervention for pre-term babies

Help your pregnant patients and their babies get off to a healthy start! Ask them to call (888) 421-7781 between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., CT, to enroll in this confidential program. Members are encouraged to enroll in the program prior to 12 weeks of gestation, but are accepted until week 34 of their pregnancy.

Note: BCBSIL members in HMO Illinois and BlueAdvantage HMO are not a part of this program.

*BCBSIL reserves the right to discontinue or change this program at any time without notice. Special Beginnings can help plan and manage a member's health, but is not a substitute for medical or other professional advice.